There are so many behind-the-scenes stories of Swan Lake that it could be made into a soap opera. Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky‘s ballet is one of the most popular (and perfect) ever created, even if its premiere was notoriously marred by rejection and failure. The 1895 version, signed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, remains the basis of the classic among classics, a popular and remarkable ballet.

Although the main female role is the double of Odette-Odile, there are occasionally other solos, because always in a classic work, there are opportunities to highlight artists with the potential for stardom. In Swan Lake, they are ‘minor’ roles, but striking.

In a group of swans led by a princess, six soloists have the rare opportunity to dance in addition to Odette, but it is four of them who ‘steal’ the night, with the most famous passage in the second act: the pas-de-quatre of the Little Swans.

In general, there are four girls who are smaller in stature than the corps de ballet, which emphasizes the grace and agility of the piece. They dance together – hands clasped – moving their feet and heads in perfect synchrony. The solo is short and is one of the most famous moments in the second act.

The credit for this dance is now given to Ivanov and, therefore, it only appeared in this format of four dancers in sync, in the 1895 re-enactment. The intention is to imitate the way swans unite and move while protecting themselves. The four dancers enter the stage in a line, with arms crossed in front of each other, holding the hands of the next dancers, forming an X. They then move sideways, diagonally, doing sixteen pas-de-chat at the same time and height, in a moment of teamwork and even so, individual highlight. Achieving unison viewing is the goal and when achieved, it always takes the audience’s breath away. They only break the chain at the final moment, in an image where they seem to try to fly before landing on the ground.

With such grace and perfection, is it any surprise that Little Swans are one of the most iconic in all of classical dance?

Search

Search